Anianus of Alexandria

Saint Anianus, hierarch, was the second bishop of Alexandria, ordained by Saint Mark the Evangelist, and the first person Mark brought to the faith in that place. He is commemorated on 25 April.

The meeting with Saint Mark

Of Anianus we know only from tradition, above all from the Acts of Mark, an apocryphal writing; Eusebius mentions only his name. According to the account, Anianus was a cobbler in Alexandria. When Saint Mark entered the city, in a quarter called Rakotis, the strap of his sandal broke and he took it to a cobbler, Anianus. While Anianus was mending it, the awl slipped and pierced his hand. He cried out in pain, “God is one.” Mark used the moment to speak to him of the Gospel, and, according to tradition, made clay of spittle and dust and anointed the wound, which was healed at once. Amazed, Anianus welcomed Mark into his house, where he listened, and then was baptized with all his household. It is not known where Anianus had learned of belief in one God; some think he was a Jew, or a pagan influenced by the wealthy Jewish community of the city. A great number of the local people were soon brought to the faith by Mark and his disciples.

The ordination

Facing the opposition of those who did not convert and wished to defend their gods, Mark judged it best to leave the place for a time. He ordained Anianus bishop for the time of his absence and, with him, three priests and seven deacons, to watch over the Church. Mark was away two years, in which he is said to have gone to Rome, to Aquileia and to the Pentapolis, preaching and working miracles. On his return he found the Church of Alexandria greatly grown, with a church of its own built at Bucolia, on the shore of the eastern harbor.

His shepherding

After the martyrdom of Mark, Anianus became patriarch of the Church of Alexandria and shepherded it for more than seventeen and a half years. In that time the number of Christians grew greatly, and he ordained new priests and deacons. How far the preaching reached is not known; it is thought it was done rather in secret, because of the hostility of the pagans. He died in peace, in his bed, between 82 and 86, and was buried beside Mark, in the church at Bucolia. Some count him the first, others the second patriarch of Alexandria, according as they count Mark or not. His relics, according to a tradition, lie at Venice.